1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for ascertaining the position, velocity and direction of travel of a vehicle at a remote location and for transmitting such information to a network-based server using a wireless communication system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various apparatus and methods for ascertaining the position of individual vehicles and for communicating that information to a user at a location remote from said vehicles are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,043,736 to Darnell, et al., discloses a cellular position locating system for ascertaining the latitude and longitude of an individual or object at a remote location and transmitting such information to a base station using a portable hand-held remote unit. The portable unit includes a receiver circuit for use with a satellite navigation system, a microprocessor for analyzing coded signals, cellular phone and modem circuits for transmitting encoded signals to a base station and a time of day clock. The base station includes a computational system for decoding position data and a visual display device for presenting the remote unit map coordinates.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,742,509, Goldberg, et al., discloses a personal tracking system integrated with a base station. The tracking system includes a remote unit that includes a location determination means, a microprocessor, a modem, and a communication means connected to the modem. The base station includes a computer with software and a modem. The remote unit and the base station communicate with one another through a communication link.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,131,067, Girerd, et al., discloses a client-server computer network and the use of such a network to access remote sensors having associated position determination sensors. In one embodiment of the invention, a remote sensor transmits positioning data to a server where it is analyzed to derive the location of the remote sensor. The location so determined is then transmitted from the server to the client and is displayed at the client so that the user can identify the location of the remote sensor. Use of the Internet as the client-server computer network is disclosed, along with use of a web page at the server having means for the user to identify a particular remote sensor.
The available means with which to determine the position of a remote sensor, or of a plurality of remote sensors, can be improved upon. For instance, there is a need to reduce the elapsed time that is presently required of a user in determining the position of each vehicle of a fleet of vehiclesxe2x80x94e.g., each rental car of a fleet of rental cars or each truck of a fleet of transportation trucks. The present invention improves upon the currently available means for determining the several positions of a plurality of remote sensors by combining a fully integrated remote positioning sensor with currently available high speed telecommunications networks. The fully integrated remote positioning sensor carries out all position determining calculations, including and desired differential corrections and auxiliary calculations, on-board at the remote location. This enables all position and tracking data to be readily available for continuous or intermittent transmission of said data to a network-based server for data-basing the positional information. The data-based information is then available, on demand, when a user accesses the server to view positional information with regard to one or a plurality of vehicles. This obviates the need for polling the remote vehicle and substantially reduces the time required to access the positional information.
The device is also configured to store data on-board at the remote location during periods that the device is outside the communication range of a wireless network, and to automatically transmit the stored data as soon as the device returns to within the communication range of the wireless network. This last feature permits a history of the vehicle route and speed, etc., to be preserved for periods in which the vehicle is outside the communication range of the wireless network.
A vehicle mounted device is configured to transmit vehicle position data to a network-based server using a wireless communication system. A preferred embodiment of the device includes first and second processing modules carried by a vehicle. The first processing module includes a positioning system receiver configured to receive positioning signals from at least one source remote from said vehicle and to process said positioning signals into vehicle position data representing date and time, and the position, velocity and direction of travel of the vehicle.
The second processing module includes a data storage device configured to store the vehicle position data, a wireless communication system link for connecting the second processing module to a wireless communication system, and a processor configured to control intermittent transmission of the vehicle position data to the wireless communication system link for subsequent transmission over the wireless communication system and, finally, to a network-based server. The processor is further configured to control transmission of said position data to and from the data storage device, and to process incoming data sent from the network-based server.
In a preferred embodiment, the processor is a microcontroller that includes an erasable programable read only memory (xe2x80x9cEPROMxe2x80x9d) and a random access memory (xe2x80x9cRAMxe2x80x9d). The data storage device is an electrically erasable programable read only memory (xe2x80x9cEEPROMxe2x80x9d) or, more generally, an electrically erasable programmable memory. The positioning system receiver is a global positioning system (xe2x80x9cGPSxe2x80x9d) receiver in communication with, preferably, four or more GPS satellites. The wireless communication system is selected from the group consisting of wireless LAN/WAN (local area network/wide area network), AMPS (advanced mobile phone system), Satellite (satellite based system communication system), iDEN(trademark), TDMA (time division multiple access), CDMA (code division multiple access), CDPD (cellular digital packet data) and GSM (groupe special mobile) infrastructures, while the network-based server is a computer connected to a network, such as the Internet, that can be accessed through a web-browser by a user logged on to the Internet. Alternative embodiments include use of the present invention with Intranet type networks.
A power supply powers the first and second processing modules. A first cable conducts power from the power supply to the second processing module. A second cable conducts power from the second module to the first module, and transmits vehicle position data from the first processing module to the second processing module.
The wireless communication system link is a wireless telephone, removably connected to the second processing module, and configured to transmit the vehicle position data over the wireless communication system to a network-based server. Alternative embodiments include use of wireless links between the second processing module and the wireless telephone, rather than removable connections. The processor is configured to establish a wireless communication between the wireless telephone and the network-based server upon start-up of the device. The processor is also configured to control transmission of the vehicle position data at predetermined periodic intervals during normal operation.
During an interruption in the wireless communication, the processor is configured to cease transmission of the vehicle position data and, rather, direct the data to be stored in the on-board storage device. The processor is also configured to periodically attempt to reestablish the wireless communication between the wireless telephone and the network-based server during such interruption. The processor is further configured to retrieve the data from the storage device and transmit it over the wireless communication system to the network-based server following reestablishment of the wireless connection.
The second processing module further includes at least one sensory input connected to the processor, where such sensory input is connected to an event sensor carried by the vehicle. The event sensor is configured to detect the occurrence of an event involving the vehicle and to transmit information regarding the event to said sensory input for processing by the processor.
A software program is configured to control initialization of the processor and the storage device upon start-up of the vehicle mounted device. The program is further configured to control enabling of interrupts and to check for the presence and functionality of all hardware and the operational mode of the vehicle mounted device. Finally, the program is further configured to control loading of operational setup parameters stored in said storage device and to check for the presence of vehicle position data stored in the storage device.
The periodic transmission of the vehicle position data is based on predetermined distance intervals, time intervals, polling, speed triggers, vehicle stop, vehicle start, or signals from the sensory inputs. The first and second modules are positionable within first and second housings, respectively, and the power supply means is a plug configured for insertion into a vehicle cigarette lighter. Alternatively, the power supply means may be a wire directly connected to the vehicle storage battery or fuse box.